Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Aiding and Abetting

The Shin Bet security service said Tuesday that an Israeli Jew from Ramat Gan is suspected of having brought into Israel the terrorist who carried out last month's Netanya suicide bombing.

Five people were killed in the July 13 bombing, for which the Islamic Jihad took responsibility.

Apparently, this Israeli was part of a group that would regularly smuggle Palestinians into Israel.

The Shin Bet said Levy has admitted to regularly transporting Palestinian workers and car thieves into Israel illegally. He also said he drove the bomber and the second Jihad man into Israel on the day of the bombing, but told security forces he was not aware he was transporting a suicide bomber.

However, Shin Bet investigators said Levy should have suspected his passenger was a suicide bomber, in part because he was carrying the explosives in a large bag.

Azam said he did examine the contents of the bomber's bag and saw a smaller bag in which the explosives were hidden, but believed the passengers when they told him the bag contained burglary tools.

First of all, the fact that Azam thought he was transporting a car thief is enough to make me regard him as guilty of aiding and abetting a criminal. In addition, this just shows how important the border closings are to the day-to-day safety and security of Israeli citizens. Anyone who tries to flout them, even if he thinks he is just "transporting Palestinian workers and car thieves" is guilty of putting his fellow Israeli citizens in danger. And this time, Azam lost the game of Russian Roulette he had been playing with the lives of his fellow citizens, in a big way.

You make a very good point. Though my first thought is that this Israeli was not intending to be an accessory to a suicide bombing, that is why the Israeli government makes it's laws about border control. If somonme tries to break those laws, the consquences can be bigger then he may think. I think they should throw the book at him.